The Last Astral Journey of Evelyn Osborne

Prologue

IN one of the hospital rooms, there is Evelyn who is lying on her bed with her gaze fixed outside the window. The wind is causing the trees to sway wildly, probably because of the weather. The news says that a huge storm is coming, and unfortunately, it will hit their country.

Evelyn, with her silver-gray hair and wrinkled face, knows she doesn't have much time left. She will die soon. The beeping of the ventilator and the steady rhythm of the electrocardiogram (ECG) underscore the reality of her fragile condition.

Kerstin, her nurse who is constantly monitoring her, says, "The weather outside looks bad. Would you like me to close the curtains for you?" She watches as Evelyn taps her side twice, signaling 'no.'

"Alright," a slight smile escapes her lips. "Do you need anything else?" The old woman carefully shakes her head.

"Very well. I'll go now, but I'll return every hour to check on you, 'kay?" Kerstin assures her, but Evelyn does not respond. Kerstin strides out of the room.

Except for the machines, silence occupies the room.

All these sights seem familiar to Evelyn. The white-painted walls of the hospital room, the machines that track her condition, and the terrible weather remind her of him.

"T-travis," she tries to mumble his name, causing a slight pang in her throat.

Travis was her first love. She met him in this very hospital 43 years ago. Now that she's 60 years old, her heart still flutters whenever she thinks of him, just like it did when they shared their first kiss on the hospital rooftop.

Travis and Evelyn both suffered from diseases that even doctors could not comprehend. Yet, instead of staying away to protect each other, their illnesses brought them even closer together.

Remembering him makes her heart ache. She misses him.

Evelyn tries to compose herself despite her difficult state. She takes a long, heavy, and shaky breath before closing her eyes.

Evelyn once had a gift — a gift that allowed her to be free and creative.

It's called astral projection.

When she was young, she accidentally told Travis about this. Travis couldn't believe it. He thought she was only kidding, until they both saw each other in the other dimension.

Yes, Travis could also do astral projection. But unlike Evelyn, Travis could also time travel. They grew closer when they learned each other's gifts.

As Evelyn closes her eyes, she tries to recall everything Travis taught her about astral projection and time travel.

It's been 36 years since she last did this. Although she has tried several times to see his face, hear his voice, and feel his touch again through astral projection, she ends up failing each time.

"Please... just this one last time," she utters in her mind.

Just as she remembers how she did it before, she relaxes and lets herself become one with the universe. She imagines a rope hanging above and visualizes her soul pulling the rope, making it leave her body.

A moment later, Evelyn opens her eyes. She is disappointed to see the same situation. She lies on her bed, her heartbeat and breath is being monitored by the machine, with no unusual light or darkness appearing as it does every time she tries this.

"I failed... again."

She knew this would happen. After she healed from her illness, she could no longer do astral projection.

However, she did not lose hope. She did extensive research on how to do it again; she even consulted a few people, particularly shamans, to help her regain her gift, but she just couldn't do it.

Why? Why can't I do it anymore?! Tears stream down her face. She weeps at the thought of dying without seeing him again.

Now she's completely hopeless.

Maybe it's time to accept that he and I will never see each other again. Perhaps only if the afterlife exists.

She breathes heavily and wipes her tears. But a second later, she is confused about how she was able to wipe her tears when neither of her hands could move, especially since one of her hands was attached to an IV drip.

Her eyes widen in shock as she suddenly realizes she can now move, stand, and walk freely.

"I-I did it!" she exclaims happily. She is now standing in front of her body.

She faces her body and sees an old woman sleeping peacefully. A sudden realization strikes her, and she quickly gazes at the machines beside her body. She feels reassured when she sees that everything is normal.

Her soul leans forward and touches her hand. She doesn't say anything; she is simply observing herself.

She feels sad and guilty for her body. The drips and machines attached to her hands are witnesses to how tired she is. Evelyn knows how exhausted her body is. But her mind is eager to regain her gift.

She also knows that, at her age and in this condition, performing astral projection is risky for her physical body.

Yet one thing is certain: whatever path she chooses, she will die.

She then turns her back and allows herself to succumb to the light that has just appeared in front of her.

***

Author's Note

Hello! I just wanted to let you know that this story is a novelette and a project for one of my major subjects. So, please don't expect too much, as it's mainly intended for grading purposes. I just wanted to share it with you because I thought it would be nice to get some feedback while I'm working on it. Your suggestions and opinions are highly appreciated, but only until November, as that's when I'll be submitting it.

Lastly, even though I can write in English, I may still make grammatical errors, which is why I use ChatGPT for grammar corrections to minimize any issues. Please bear with me! You can also show your support by voting and commenting. Thank you!